Whenever I talk about my interest in gamification of education, people always respond positively. “Oh! I love using games in the classroom!” or “I always enjoyed myself when my class got to play games as a reward!”

On the first typical comment:

Using games in the classroom is fine and doing so can provide many benefits if structured properly. A guided worksheet highlighting some of the math that is involved in the system. Reflective oriented play of the game with instruction and a rubric to write about and share what was encountered.

On the second:

Rewards are an important aspect of education. This one, though seemingly extrinsic, could turn intrinsic if there was a structure to reward the exploration of the reward. Even rewards, however, can become a chore: when a reward is a requirement, is it still a reward? More on choice later.

Both comments are a result of some (potentially) useful classroom practice.

Let us reflect, then, on what this blog is not: How have you used games in YOUR classroom, or what games do you remember playing when you were in school?